All of my recent talk about Loretta must have sent some good mojo my way. This afternoon, I got an email from the mandolin instructor I contacted about lessons a few weeks ago. It seems that he has a slot open, starting next week.

That is to say, he had a slot open, 'cause I told him that I'd fill it.

On a completely different note, I'll take this opportunity to mention that I really enjoy the Def Poets show that I catch on HBO from time to time. It's sad, though, because so much of this poetry seems to be rooted in deep, deep anger.

Well, if you like, I could order a copy, autograph it, then send it to you, if you wouldn't mind sending me a check for what will amount to the normal cost of the book, part of the shipping I would have to pay for it to get shipped to me then shipped to you.

All in all, it might well end up being more expensive for you. :/ If you'd like, I could calculate what it would cost. It's entirely possible that it could end up about the same or slightly cheaper. I genuinely don't mind the extra trouble -- I intend to order some extra copies for myself in bulk, anyhow, so that could very well save you on shipping.

I asked the company if I could go pick up the books myself (they're in Morrisville), but they said they weren't set up for that kind of thing. Unfortunately, they only ship in the US via FedEx or UPS.

Trouble yourself not. After making my earlier query, I read a little more about the setup on the website and think I have a better understanding of how it works. I'll be ordering my own copy via the website. I know where you live and I'll hunt you down like and obsessed autograph hound sometime in the future.